Last days of Mao's World Tour and úngl-úngl

The last day of the exhibitions Erró: Mao’s World Tour at Hafnarhús and Ólöf Nordal: úngl-úngl at Ásmundarsafn is Sunday, 26 January.

Erró was one of the first Western artists to adopt the legend and images of Mao Zedong. Between 1972 and 1980, Erró painted the series Chinese Paintings, over 130 paintings which tell the story of a great leader who travels around the world. Each painting, like most other paintings by Erró from 1964 onwards, is based on a collage where Erró matches two images of different origins against each other: Chinese propaganda posters and Western tourist pictures from famous places. Erró pictures Chairman Mao and his comrades on a triumphant tour around the world, but in reality Mao only made two trips out of China, both times to attend the Communist Party Convention in Moscow.

Ólöf Nordal (b. 1961) often references Icelandic folktales, national heritage and cultural motifs which she places in a modern context. She is also preoccupied with nature and our connection to the land.